


Confession of an Anxious Heart

by TheTruthBetween



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, Trek Rarepair Swap, Unrequited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 08:04:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12054759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTruthBetween/pseuds/TheTruthBetween
Summary: Kes talks to Tuvok after the events of Warlord, and feelings come to light.





	Confession of an Anxious Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [magnetgirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnetgirl/gifts).



> I know I suck at titles. I know. Don't judge me.

The chime rang, and Tuvok opened his eyes. “Enter.”

He listened to the door hiss open, and then Kes’s voice, soft and hesitant, “Tuvok?”

Standing from his meditation, Tuvok turned to face her. “Yes?”

Kes hesitated again, then slowly said, “I think we need to talk.”

“What about?”

“About what happened… with Tieran.”

“There is nothing to talk about,” Tuvok stated matter-of-factly. “You were not in control of your body, thus you cannot be held responsible for what happened.”

Kes grimaced slightly, but insisted, “I still need to talk about it. Please.”

Tuvok straightened his already straight shoulders and clasped his hands behind his back. “Very well.”

Turning away from his dispassionate gaze, Kes crossed her arms tightly over her chest and studied the Vulcan art hanging on the wall. “I know that Tieran said that once he took over my body, I was gone. That he had complete control. But he didn’t. I was still there, in the back, fighting against him, and he knew that. He could sense me. He knew me, inside and out. And sometimes he did things that I had thought about doing but hadn’t. Ending my relationship with Neelix, for example.”

Taking the cue, Tuvok asked what was expected of him, “And that is why you have not resumed your relationship?”

“Yes,” Kes answered slowly. Finally turning back to face him, she quietly continued. “When Tieran… kissed you… When he said that you desired me…” Looking down at the floor, she finished, “He was picking up on my own feelings, for you.”

A long silence followed, there Kes stared intently at the carpet and Tuvok struggled to find something to say. Finally he stated, “I had wondered if that was the case.”

A pained expression crossed Kes’s features and she glanced up briefly. “I hadn’t realized I was so obvious.”

“You were not. It was simply one of several logical conclusions.”

“Several? What were the others?”

“It was also possible that Tieran himself found you attractive and projected that onto me, or that he was simply saying whatever he thought may cause me to react the strongest,” Tuvok explained.

Kes nodded slightly. “Well… now you know the truth,” she said, letting her arms fall to her sides, watching him carefully.

Tuvok stared back, and as the silence stretched between them again, finally asked, “Are you expecting this to have an effect on our relationship?”

Hesitating, Kes glanced to the side before looking back at him. “I guess I had hoped it might. I have feelings for you, Tuvok. I suppose I was hoping we might be able to explore them, together.”

“You know that I am married,” Tuvok pointed out.

“Yes,” Kes nodded. “And she’s 70 thousand light years away, and I’ll be long dead of old age by the time you get back to her.”

“That is true,” Tuvok acknowledged. “However, it is not logical to seek a new mate at this time, as I do not require it.”

Kes smiled a little, wistfully. “I suppose that’s true. But if the time comes…”

Although Tuvok’s voice was, to an outsider, just as dispassionate as ever, if one paid attention, they would notice a slight lowering, a minute softening, as he replied, “I will keep your suggestion in mind.”

“Thank you, Tuvok,” Kes’s smile widened, and she reached out, resting her hand briefly on his chest. Before she could pull away, Tuvok reached up as well, wrapping his fingers around hers, her small hand dwarfed in his.

And then he let go, and she stepped away, leaving his quarters with a heart that felt paradoxically lighter and heavier than when she’d arrived. And, although she didn’t know it and he didn’t acknowledge it, his did, as well.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to make it both as in-character and as satisfying as possible, given that I didn't see a way to make it truly relationshippy. I hope I was successful in both respects.


End file.
